Publisher： John Wiley & Sons Inc
E-ISSN： 2156-2202|90|A1|399-408
ISSN： 0148-0227
Source： Journal Of Geophysical Research, Vol.90, Iss.A1, 1985-01, pp. : 399-408
Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.
Abstract
Data from the second flight of the Aries Porcupine sounding rocket campaign are presented and analyzed. The data reveal auroral electrons with spectral peaks at energies up to 4 keV and the dc electric field shows a remarkable degree of anticorrelation with the peak electron energy. Electron precipitation data are used as input to a numerical simulation of the auroral ionosphere to calculate ion production rates. From these and the recombination rates, the equilibrium electron density is calculated, properly accounting for the effective drift velocity of ionization from its point of production. Using the classical formulas, the Pedersen and Hall conductivities in the neutral frame are then calculated. Finally, various combinations of the arc motion velocity and neutral wind velocity are used to compare the resulting electric field component normal to the arc with the observations. The results imply that the ionization produced by the auroral electrons does not move with the E × B drift velocity, perhaps the result of a larger collisional coupling to neutrals than expected. A relationship is obtained between the components of the neutral wind velocity parallel and perpendicular to the arc. The observed anticorrelation is attributed to the blockage of field‐aligned current and the resulting polarization of the ionosphere as well as the relatively linear relationship between peak electron energy and height integrated conductivity for peak energies below a few keV.
Related content
The convection electric field in auroral substorms
Journal Of Geophysical Research, Vol. 106, Iss. A7, 2001-07 ,pp. :
Access to resources
Recommend
Relationship between large horizontal electric fields and auroral arc elements
Journal Of Geophysical Research, Vol. 101, Iss. A3, 1996-03 ,pp. :
Field line resonance interference model for multiple auroral arc generation
Journal Of Geophysical Research, Vol. 104, Iss. A1, 1999-01 ,pp. :
On the origin of the high‐altitude electric field fluctuations in the auroral zone
Journal Of Geophysical Research, Vol. 101, Iss. A12, 1996-12 ,pp. :